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I wanted to give you my first impressions from watching the coach’s film of his first 4 games this season.

Monroe is not Superman, but he’s a sharp contrast from Bryant McKinnie.

Starting with the basics, he knows his responsibility on every play. He doesn’t end up with a befuddled look and he frequently is seen communicating with the G or TE on his side.

His biggest physical asset is quickness, which he uses to gain consistent positional advantage. It would be difficult to overstate the importance of quick feet to a left tackle. He can set up effectively without giving nearly as much ground as a bigger man like McKinnie. He can also be effective defending the edge against smaller, physical pass rushers like Dumervil or Harrison. He hasn’t been charged with an illegal formation penalty in his career because he doesn’t need to cheat when lining up in fear of getting beaten to the edge.

In Jacksonville’s zone-blocking scheme, he has been solid because he’s good as a lead blocker, disciplined, and also religiously attempts to make a block on the backside of run plays. Of particular note is that Monroe is an aggressive and effective cut blocker, something McKinnie did not do either by personal choice or on the orders of his coaches.

He is penalty conscious, which can have some odd consequences. He’s been penalized 13 times since the beginning of 2011, a below-average number for a LT. This season, his lone sack allowed came against Robert Mathis in week 4 (Q3, 14:50). Mathis beat him to the outside after Monroe neutralized him to the body for approximately 3 seconds. Eugene thought he had blocked long enough for Gabbert to deliver the football. Monroe released Mathis as he turned the corner in what appears to me an attempt to avoid a holding call, but Gabbert had not yet thrown and Mathis took him down for loss of 6. Immediately, Monroe walked over to the pile and helped his QB get up.

What are his weaknesses? He can be slow out of his stance and has short arms. He makes up for some of that with his quickness, but he can struggle against big pass rushers with some quickness like Hali or Kruger.

In a sense, I like the move because Monroe has been through his growing pains as a LT. Joe Staley (2007), Duane Brown (2008), and Monroe (2009) all had difficulty adjusting to the pro game, but all became top LTs in their 3rd or 4th seasons.

It’s often suggested that drafting a “developmental tackle” such as Ramon Harewood is an option for teams without a top 10 selection. However, drafting a LT can be a developmental process even at the top of the first round.

A successful franchise rarely has an opportunity to address the position as decisively and effectively.

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About Ken McKusick

Ken comes to us via area message boards where he has consistently posted some of the most insightful and memorable posts that you'll find anywhere. Known as "Filmstudy", Ken is a lifelong Baltimorean and rabid fan of Baltimore sports who grew up about 1 mile from Memorial Stadium. He attended all but a handful of Orioles home games from 1979 through 2001. Follow Ken on Twitter @FilmstudyRavens.
Ken bleeds orange in more ways than one. He's a graduate of Syracuse University, where he earned degrees in both Broadcast Journalism and Math and now works locally as an actuary.
The message board member name "Filmstudy" comes from his collection of video from every Ravens game ever played and his player-participation-by-play tracking system for defense that he developed in 2006. This system is the cornerstone of his thoughtful and one-of-a-kind analysis of the complex Ravens defense.
More from Ken McKusick

This is a move that is typical Ozzie! I think it is a stroke of genius on more than one level. Assuming Baltimore drafts again next year in the mid 20s', then it would be near impossible to draft a starting caliber LT unless we traded up or we hit the jackpot by somebody sliding.
I think we would have to move up to a top 10 pick which would have cost us our 1st, 2nd and another 1st in 2015. Now, we have a starting caliber LT who is only 26 and is experienced and ready to start right away! And all this for a couple of 3rd day picks? Now to pull that off requires great acumen and skill with a good doze of genius!

I think this could potentially be a great pickup by Newsome. Not only can the Ravens replace an aging, out of shape McKinnie, but they're also telling the rest of the o-line to shape up or ship out. We'll see how this works out.

Filmstudy - Filmstudy is a sophisticated and comprehensive statistical analysis of the Ravens defense that incorporates a participation-by-play tracking system. This unique analysis is the brain child of the author and provides our readers with the real story behind the Ravens’ top end defensive results in the National Football League. Make Russellstreetreport.com the source for all of your Ravens football news and the forum to talk about what the Ravens fans want to hear most.

Lombardi’s Way - A column from the 24×7 founder that focuses on the Ravens, the NFL, Baltimore, the world of sports or life’s inspirations.

Word on The Street - In the spirit of the CBS Sports Minute with Boomer Esiason, RSR brings you Word on The Street, a 90 second (or less) podcast on topics exclusively relating to the Baltimore Ravens.

20 For 20 - In 2015 the Baltimore Ravens will celebrate their 20th season in Charm City. This series pays homage to 20 unforgettable events that have occurred since Art Modell arrived.

Camp Notes - Let Russellstreetreport.com be your eyes and ears on the practice field. Whether it’s Rookie Camp, Mini Camp or Training Camp, we are there 24×7 to provide you with all of the details from that day’s Raven’s practice. If you can’t make it to camp, check in with our Ravens news writers and you will feel as though you were there. Need proof? Check out our camp note archives from camp practices earlier this Spring.

Flashback Friday - A look back on some previously posted articles which today look silly, comical, spot-on or interesting in a retrospective kind of way.

Tale of the Tape - Breakdown of key plays that made a difference in the outcome of a Baltimore Ravens game.